Bücker Bü 180

Development

In January 1937 Major Werner Junck, chief of the LC II, the technical wing of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium responsible for the development of new aircraft, informed various minor aircraft manufacturers such as Bücker, Fieseler, Gothaer Waggonfabrik, Flugzeugwerke Halle and Klemm that they would not get any contracts for the development of military aircraft. He therefore advised them to concentrate in the development of a Volksflugzeug or a small twin-engined plane. Following on from the success of the Bü 133 Jungmeister the Bücker company designed the Bü 180, while the other companies produced the Fi 253, the Si 202, the Kl 105 and the Go 150.

It was a low-wing cantilever monoplane that would be later used as a trainer aircraft and named Student. The wing was of wooden construction with a mixture of plywood and fabric covering. The fuselage was a steel tube frame forward and a wooden monocoque aft with a fabric covering. The Student had a fixed tailskid landing gear and was powered by a Walter Mikron II inline engine. The prototype first flew in 1937 and a small number were built for civilian use.

Variants

Bü 180A

Production variant with a 50hp Zündapp Z9-092 engine.

Bü 180B

Production variant with a 60hp Walter Mikron II engine.

Bü 180C

Proposed variant with a 80hp Bücker Bü M700 engine.

Specifications (Bü 180)

Data from Aircraft of the Third Reich, The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft

General characteristics

Crew: 2

Length: 7.1 m (23 ft 4 in)

Wingspan: 11.5 m (37 ft 9 in)

Height: 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)

Wing area: 15 m² (160 sq ft)

Empty weight: 295 kg (650 lb)

Gross weight: 540 kg (1,190 lb)

Powerplant: 1 × Walter Mikron II inverted 4-cyl. air-cooled in-line piston engine, 45 kW (60 hp)

Propellers: 2-bladed fixed pitch propeller

Performance

Maximum speed: 175 km/h (109 mph; 94 kn) at sea level

Cruising speed: 160 km/h (99 mph; 86 kn)

Range: 650 km (404 mi; 351 nmi)

Service ceiling: 4,500 m (14,764 ft)

Time to altitude: 1,000 m (3,281 ft) in 8 minutes 54 seconds